Sorting machine



A. VAN COTT AND J. EVANS.

'SORTING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED IAN-26,1921.

1|; 7 Patented July IL 1922.

4 SHEETS-SHEET l.

I IH' D f a i a I In q l/VI/E/VTOR W/Tfl/Eo 8 I flsEprkqA CbrrdoHA/EVqN-S BY A a a ATTORNEYS A. VAN COTT AND I. EVANS.

SORTING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED IAN.26, I921.

Patented July 11, 1922.

4 SHEETSSHEET 2.

vr JIM A TTORf/EIS A. VAN COTT AND]. EVANS.

SORTING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED JAN-26, 1921.

1,4223%, Patented July 11, 1922.

j@.4;. I v '56 L i V 5 Q 3 5 6 9 59 6 A; VAN COTT'AND J. EV'ANSL SORTINGMACHINE. APPLICATION FILED JAN-26. 1921.

"Learner @IFFHQEE.

ALBERT VAN COTT AND JOHN EVANS, 0F SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH.

SGRTING MACHINE.

Application filed January 26, 1921.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, ALBERT VAN Co'r'r and JOHN EVANS, both citizens ofthe United States, and residents of Salt Lake City, in the county ofSalt Lake and State of Utah, have invented a new and Improved SortingMachine, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

Our invention relates to a sorting machine, and aims to provide a deviceof this character more particularly adapted for use in connection withlaundry work, but not necessarily limited to this particular class ofwork.

It is a well appreciated fact with regard to commercial laundries thatit is customary to affix an identification member in the nature of apin, to each garment of a customer, subsequent to its receipt. Thegarments are then subjected to the laundering process, and it isnecessary to again group the garments according to the customer to whomthey are to be returned.

lVith a view of accomplishing the final sorting action, it has beencustomary to utilize a series of cabinets which bear identificationmarks similar to those aflixed to the garments, and the pins aresubsequently removed.

Aside from the space which a sorting system of this nature occupies, itwill be appreciated that a great amountof labor is necessary in that anoperator must walk from cabinet to cabinet to effect a proper sorting ofthe laundered garments.

Having this in mind, we have constructed a sorting machine which ispeculiarly adapted for use in connection with laundry work asaforestated, and by means of which, aside from the fact that but aminimum of space will be occupied, one operator is capable of handlingthe work previously requiring the services of two or more persons.

Further objects of our invention will appear in the annexedspecification and drawings, which latter present one practicalembodiment, and in which Figure 1 is a plan view of a sorting ma-vchine.

Figure 2 is a side view thereof.

Figure 3 is an enlarged sectional plan view taken along the lines 33 andin the direction of the arrowsindicated in Figure 2.

Figure 4: is a fragmentary side view of Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 11, 1922.

Serial No. 440,095.

one of the elements utilized in connection with the sorting.

Figure 5 is a fragmentary perspective view of one of the elementsutilized in connection with the sorting.

Figure 6 is a sectional plan View taken on the line 6-6 and in thedirection of the arrows indicated in Figure 4.

F igure 7 is a view similar to Figure 5 but illustrating a slightlydifferent form of sorting member which may be utilized to v aid incertain adaptations, and

Figure 8 illustrates our sorting machine where the same is supported bysuspending. In these views, the reference numeral 10 indicatessupporting elements, such as legs, upon which the body of the machinerests, it being noted that these legs are preferablyarranged in the formof a circle and provlde a cap within which an operators stand 11 may bepositioned.

The body of the machine preferably includes an annular member 12, whichforms the base of the body and which rests upon a band 13 carrieddirectly by the legs 10, it being noted that the member 12 and band 13are anti-frictionally spaced and rotatable with respect to each other byany suitable means, such as rollers 14.

A similar annular member 15 is arranged above the member 12, and isretained in this position by any suitable means such as struts 16,extending between the same. Thus an operator, upon the stand 11, mayeffeet a rotation of the annular member 12 by grasping any of the struts16 and moving the same bodily.

Associated with the member 1.2 are any desirable number of memberspresenting sockets 17, and it will be noted that the annular member 15includes in its body, the outwardly extending flange 18 presenting aplurality of slots 19, which latter are arranged at a tangent to theradial for a purpose hereinafter more fully specified.

Receiving rods 20 have their lower ends resting in the sockets presentedbythe members 17, and extend towards a common center, and upwardly, sothat their upper ends rest against the outer and inner edges presentedby the opposite side walls of the slots 19. Thus it will be obvious thatan element in the nature of a pin 21, illustrated in Figure 3 may beassociated with the rods 20by passing the body of the pin over the freeupper endof one of the rods, these latter being retained in position bymeans of the slot construction, aforedescribed, it being noted however,that this latter construction will in no way interfere with theassociation of the pin with the rod.

It is to be noted, reference being had to Figures 5- and 7, that I mayutilize any desired type of rod in this connection, it being seen thatthe body of the rod 20, appearing in Figure 5, is straight, while thatpresented in Figure 7 and identified by the reference numeral 22 is bentpreferably adjacent its lower end.

From the foregoing it will be appreciated that we have constructed asorting machine in which an operator will be'enabled to stand upon thesupport 11, and to receive a bundle of clothes to be sorted, at anydesirable position, such as for instance, upon the railing 23 of thestand 11.

These garments or articles may now be placed upon their receiving rods20 or 22 by means of identification hereinafter described, and it willbe appreciated that the articles attached to pins such as 21 will slidetowards the lower end of the rods. Upon one batch of articles havingbeen sorted, it will not be necessary for the operator to discontinuework to remove the same from the machine, as by means of placing a ringor other suitable element 24 within the space embraced .by the rods 20or 22, and in contact with the same, a second sorting may be immediatelyresorted to, the articles of this second sorting being incapable ofsliding along the bodies of the rods further than the plane occupied bythe ring 24:. In the interim, a second operator may remove the articlesof the first batch by lifting the lower ends of the rods from withintheir socket member 17, permitting of the detachment of these properlysorted articles.

A third batch may be handled by the operator upon the stand 11 byremoving the ring-24 for an instant, and permitting the articles of thesecond batch to slide to the base of the rods, subsequent to which theentire performance may be repeated.

To now provide means serving to permit of an identification and propersorting of the articles, we conveniently utilize a band 25 bearingidentification marks, correspond ing to the marks carried by the pins21, and this band is preferably applied to'the annular member 15, as hasbeen illustrated in Figures 3 and 4 by means of guide elements 26serving to retain the same, and a roll 27 receiving one end of the strip25, the opposite end being preferably bent, as has been indicated in.Figure 3 to permit of itsengagement'with the free end of-the band 15.Thusa removable identification element is provided, and it will readilybe appreciated it will be seen that all of the elements are 7 similar tothose described in connection with the figures aforereferred to, withthe excep tion that the struts 16 are preferably secured to a collar 28which is in turn rotatably supported as at 29, to a member 30 fixedlysecured to the ceiling 31. 1

It will be understood that the operation of the device in connectionwith Figure 8, is the same as in preceding figures, the only differencebeing that the same is suspended rather than supported.

From the foregoing it will be understood that we have constructed asorting machine which is ideally adapted for use in connection with thesorting of washed articles, but not necessarily limited .to thisadaptation, and by means of which the cabinet sorting system now invogue may be dispensed with, together with all of the objectionsincident thereto, by reason of the fact that one operator is capable ofsorting with a minimum scribed the combination of a frame a series ofrods secured to the frame and extended upwardly and inwardly toward acommon center, the said rods being so arranged and positioned that anoperator adjacent to the upper ends thereof may place upon selected onesof said rods laundry articles or the like which will then slidedownwardly and outwardly by gravity and all of the articles on one rodwill then stand grouped at the lower outer end of said rod.

2. An assorting device of the class described, comprising a frame, aseries of rods secured to the frame and extended upwardly and inwardlytoward a common'center, and standing spaced apart from the commoncenter, whereby an operator at the center of the assorting device mayplace upon the upper ends of the rods laundry articles or the like whichwill then move by gravity down wardly and outwardly to the outerends ofthe rods where all of the articles placed upon a selected rod will standouter end of said rod. 7

3. An asserting device of the class degrouped at the V scribedcomprising a frame, a series of rods supported by the frame and extendedupwardly and inwardly toward a common center, the upper ends of the rodsbeing spaced apart from the common center and being designed to receivelaundry articles or the like at the upper ends of the rods, whicharticles will move downwardly and outwardly on the rods by gravity, andmeans for stopping the downward and out-ward movement of the articleswhereby all of the articles on a selected rod will stand groupedtogether at said stopping means.

A. A sorting machine, including a plurality of rods, movable withrespect to each other and a member for supporting the lower ends of saidrods, the bodies of said rods extending upwardly and towards a commoncenter, and means for supporting the upper ends of said rods, said meanspermitting of the passage of elements along said rods and past theirupper ends.

5. A sorting machine, including a plurality of rods, movable withrespect to each other and a member for removably supporting the lowerends of said rods, the bodies of said rods extending upwardly andtowards a common center, and means for supporting the upper ends of saidrods, said means permitting of the passage of elements along said rodsand past their upper ends.

6. A sorting machine, including a plurality of rods extending upwardlyand towards a common center, means for rotatably supporting the body ofsaid machine, and means for sub-dividing the length of all of said rodsinto a plurality of spaces.

7 A sorting machine, including a plurality of rods extending upwardlyand towards a common center, means for rotatably supporting the body ofsaid machine, and means removably attached to said sorting machine andadapted to engage said rods for subdividing their bodies into aplurality of spaces.

8. A sorting machine including a pair of spaced members, a flangeforming a part of one of said members, said flange being provided with aplurality of slots, rods having their lower ends supported by the secondof said members, the upper ends of said rods normally resting withinsaid slots.

9. A sort-ing machine including a pair of spaced members, a flangeforming a part of one of said members, said flange being provided with aplurality of slots extending at a tangent to the radial, rods havingtheir lower ends supported by the second of said members, the upper endsof said rods normally resting within said slots.

10. A sorting machine including a pair of annular members, socketelements associated with one of said members, rods adapted to have oneof their ends lying within said socket elements, their opposite endsbearing against said second member.

11. A sorting machine including a pair of annular members, socketelements associated with one of said members, rods adapted to have oneof their ends detachably resting within said socket elements, theiropposite ends bearing against said second member.

12. A sorting machine including a pair of members, one of said membersbeing formed with a plurality of slots, rods carried by the second ofsaid members and being adapted to extend one into each of said slots,and an identification element associated with the first of said membersand having its body lying adjacent to said slots.

13. A sorting machine including a pair of members, one of said membersbeing formed with a plurality of slots rods carried by the second ofsaid members and being adapted to extend one into each of said slots,and a band having one of its ends connected to said slotted member andbearing identification marks adapted to individually identify said rods,a roller rotatably carried by said member, the opposite end of said bandbeing connected to said roller.

14:. A sorting machine including a plurality of rods extending upwardlyand towards a common center, means engaging said rods adjacent theirends for supporting the same, and a substantially ring-shaped memberengaging the body of said rods for sub-dividing the same into aplurality of spaces.

15. A sorting machine including a plurality of rods extending upwardlyand towards a common center, means engaging said rods adjacent theirends for supporting the same, and a movable member engaging the body ofsaid rods for sub-dividing the same into a plurality of spaces.

16. An asserting device of the class described comprising a frame, meansfor rotatably supporting it, a series of rods carried by the frame andextended upwardly and inwardly toward a common center, and an operatorsplatform mounted adjacent to the common center.

ALBERT VAN COTT. JOHN EVANS.

